We’re Not Gonna Take It
Envelopes like this don’t even make it from the mailbox to the kitchen counter. I am a mail connoisseur. Intuitively, I know it will change things around here and not in a We-Just-Won-Publishers-Clearinghouse way.
Rate and Blood Pressure Increase
My health insurance company is, once again, raising my rates. The past two increases caused a bit of angst and a few expletives, but this one ensues an all-out tirade. Are you f@#$ing kidding me? 50 bucks. You have GOT to be kidding me! They just raised this less than six months ago. Where’s that last statement? This is shit! I’m finding another company. They can go–
A few phone calls and an application to another well-known provider give me hope. It seems they might offer me a policy of comparable value for almost $200 less per month.
Too Good
Things are a little different now that we’re self-employed. Our daily lives have improved in myriad ways, and there is really nothing to complain about. I take action to move on happily with another insurance company and will, in just a few short days, tell my current company to stick it. They can take advantage of some other sucker, but they’re not going to get me.
Or are they? After sending in my online application, I receive a call. It seems that the new company needs to ask me a few questions about my previous health records. It seems that you applied a few years ago and said….could you further explain…
I’m standing in my medical nightmare of yesteryear as if it were yesterday.
I calmly explain to the woman on the phone, You see. I am extremely healthy. I go to the doctor’s once per year for my physical and only because my doctor makes me. After telling her I will search for my medical records and get back to her with the answers I know she wants but I cannot provide to her satisfaction, I hang up.
I have been there, done that. Deflated, I sit at the kitchen table and let myself feel those sinking feelings of 2008 and 2009 when company after company told me, Sorry. No can do. No coverage for you. It seems that one must be completely healthy to get individual health coverage.
My current company is the one company that would take me, and I have lived the last year and a half without being panic-stricken that one medical mishap will bankrupt us. Now that I think about it, I will happily pay you $50 more a month, Beloved Insurance Company.
Anger from Another Source
Someone poked the bear. CJ, the calmer-than-the-eye-of-the-storm man I married, saw my tears and recalled the years of battles done with physicians’ offices and insurance companies. Instead of throwing himself around and fanning my flames last week, he listened and hugged and waited.
In the meantime, he also opened another suspicious-looking envelope from our cable company announcing a rate increase of $5 per month. Uh oh.
You might get your wish not to have a TV at all, he announces.
An hour later, I am working with a student when I receive a text. As of 3/16, we are TV-less. Dish Network loses. Hoomahs win.
That’s Not All Folks
By the end of the day on Tuesday, less than a week after receiving the envelope, we have made up the difference of our rate increase. The rate hike will not affect us at all.
Our current cell phone plans are canceled, and we have purchased two phones and a no-contract plan to go with them which will allow us to save $35 per month. We have only ever had call and text capabilities, so why pay Corporate Giant more money for the same service?
Dish Network has been canceled. Canceling our TV service allows us to save $15 not to mention the proposed, and subsequently vetoed, $5 increase.
Even I can do that math.
$35 + $20 = $55
Thank You, Sir Jolly
Taking action is addicting. CJ made one phone call, and all hell broke loose. The once-upon-a-time-just-sit-there-and-take-it couple stood up. We want to pay off our debts. Blithely accepting rate increases will not get us there.
It was moderately inconvenient, but well worth addressing. Now we’re up $5. Perhaps we’ll order large coffees today.
Bring on those envelopes, cute mail lady singing along with your iPod. Look who’s singing now!
Where do you fall on the taking action spectrum, Jolly reader? We are always up for a great story!
Jolly Good People, Posts and Ideas
If you’re looking for a guaranteed laugh, look no further. Vikki Claflin writes stories that are sure to make you spit out whatever beverage you like to sip. Check out her latest antics at Laugh Lines. You won’t be disappointed!
26 comments about "We’re Not Gonna Take It"
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- The Art of Optimism - [...] endure any how”. Or how I less eloquently put it in a comment I left on my friend Tammy’s ...
- Nods, Winks and Interesting Stuff – 19th March - [...] sky rockets out of control and yet you can’t find an alternative provided? Well CJ and Tammy were not ...
- The Great Jollyhoombah | Look Good, Feel Good and Spend Little - [...] my health insurance premiums are insane for someone my age with no health issues, but this is for another ...
- Have a Nice Day! - [...] sky-rockets out of control and yet you can’t find an alternative provider? Well CJ and Tammy were not gonna ...
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We are Tammy and CJ, and we are tickled pink you chose to spend time with us. Frolic about
a bit, poke around, and get
your snicker on. Now, get over here, so we can pet you and
feed you nuts.
Whoa, congrats on taking action and standing up to them! I couldn’t help but imagine this scene as I read this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dib2-HBsF08
Sadly, I don’t have any stories that I can think of at the moment for this. Maybe except for that time I got my Tennis coach fired and got four other friends to move over to the Track team with me?
Vincent Nguyen recently posted..5 Simple Things You Can Do Today to Spread Happiness
Good morning, Vincent! We can’t wait to watch the video with sound. We are in the coffee shop and fear that the few patrons here will not appreciate me running this with sound. We look forward to it.
Now, this story of the tennis coach and track team all sounds very interesting. What a testament to your fitness that you were all able to switch sports like that!
If you are not in classes this week, enjoy your spring break.
Sweet! Congratulations on saving money and making what could have become weeks of stress into a positive experience!
Recently, we had a rather Hoombah-inspired moment ourselves. While discussing an amount that someone wanted to charge us for something (I don’t remember details, obviously!), I said to my husband: “I mean, for Pete’s sake, that’s as much as our cable bill!” And then I stopped. Thought for a moment (remembering your stories the whole while) and digested the concept of how much money we could really be saving. Well, we promptly cancelled cable and cancelled the home phone to keep only the cells. It’s saving us money and we’re loving it. Thanks for always sharing your inspiring stories, guys! They make a difference!
Megan Joel Peterson recently posted..Genre boxes and Ella Minnow Pea
How sweet is THAT, Megan?!? Perhaps you and your husband high-fived each other and did a little happy dance? Now the extra money is yours to spend how you wish. The extra money plus the money I hope is pouring in from your book sales – cha ching! We may find you blogging from some remote tropical island soon.
We had a few weeks of adjustment when we got rid of the home phone. I wonder if you and your husband will go through this. Now, when someone calls, you know exactly who they want to talk to!
So glad we can all support each other in this way. Keep those stories coming, MJP!
Ugh. I am feeling for you two. It has been a long time since I have had to shop health insurance (like 20 years), so I can’t even imagine. Hopefully things will get better for us all soon in this regard. As far as cable is concerned..congrats! I will be following suit very soon.
Tony@WeOnlyDoThisOnce recently posted..How to Break Free from Consumerism
Hello Tony! Always great to conspire with you. I recall you mentioning on your blog that you will be ridding yourself of cable. It is just a short week away for us, and we are giddy. When CJ got them to reduce our package to $15 per month – last spring, I believe – we realized we didn’t miss any of the channels. There are so many Internet options available, but we’re thinking of going cold turkey. More on that in future posts, I’m sure!
Titles such as: Jollier Than Ever Without Sixty Useless Channels or Do We Care Enough About Local News to Buy the $40 Converter?
Thank you always for writing those inspiring post which make us think about how we can keep on keepin’ on!
My mother has antenna and a converter box. The antenna is huge, so huge it frightens the neighbors and serves as a perch for hawks surveying the area for prey. One amazing fact is that she gets, for free, some channels my cable company charges extra for. Like the Italian channel. Of course my mother doesn’t speak Italian, so she doesn’t care about this, but I was impressed.
Rosemary recently posted..Be Spontaneous!
Now that’s what I’m talking about, Rosemary! We love birds, so hawks are welcome to perch here. Frightening neighbors might not be a bad idea either. Italian is on the want-to-learn list. May we be as lucky as your mom!
Oh my goodness! I was reading your post (as I always do
, and saw your fabulous shout out to Laugh Lines! THANK YOU. What a wonderful Monday morning treat! (And back atcha with the blog love!)
Vikki Claflin recently posted..It’s After 10 p.m. Do You Know What the Grownups Are Doing?
Yay, it’s Vikki! We are so glad you saw the shout out. You make us hoot and howl with your posts, and we so appreciate your sense of humor. I love how you share Kenny with us. You two have a very special relationship, and it benefits us all to read about it.
Warning to anyone going to Vikki’s site: You will not leave sad!
She truly rocks every post!
Bravo Hoombahs!
I’m in a state of defeated resignation at the moment. This year’s property tax bills are beginning to roll in with the promised increases – major increase for me. I had to up my federal withholding because my daughter turns 17 this year so no more child tax credit for me. And if that didn’t hurt enough, all my other expenses are doing another round of minor increases – because after all, who will complain over a $2 or $5 increase?
[sigh] I need to hurry up and pay off my car. I may need to live in it if this keeps up.
Lori Stalter recently posted..Getting Rid of Stress to Improve Weight Loss
I say let’s keep sharing those stories. I recall your honest and poignant post about questioning what to do with your house and you touched others in profound ways by sharing your story. You are always moving forward – just recently with the release of your Stress Reduction and Weight Loss mp3′s (which I love and bring me to a state of peace I so appreciate!) and now your yoga instructor certification.
And now that you mention your car payment, that is up right after tackling our last student loan.
We will all continue to share and learn together. That way, we can all continue to move forward!
We are luckier than most in that the only outstanding debt we have is our mortgage. Credit cards are paid in full each month. We save our money and pay cash for large purchases like cars or vacations. Nevertheless, there are always plenty of bills to pay. I just got the notice from my insurance company that my premium also is going up by an unconscionable amount. It is a nightmare. When my husband’s company implemented a group insurance plan we had hoped that would help. But a little research revealed that group insurance typically costs even more than individual insurance, because the group plans must accept everyone, including those with pre-existing conditions. (People often don’t realize this if they work for a company that pays part of their premium.) So I kept my individual plan. And, like you, I’m not in a position to switch. It’s a financial nightmare that resonates strongly with me. Congratulations on coming up with some smart solutions.
Rosemary recently posted..Be Spontaneous!
Rosemary, I fear this could be a stand-alone post – the health insurance nightmare. I am sorry that happened to you. I am sure you hold your own in any good “fight,” but you’re always welcome to borrow CJ for interesting and entertaining calls to providers. His premium is cheap – just the cost of a happy hour pint.
What is great to hear is the mortgage-only debt. We hope to follow in your footsteps. Penny by penny and never saying never to ideas on how to save money or eliminate debt. Everything is on the chopping block – well, not everything, but it’s all in question, at least.
Thank you for your insight and always chiming in with a great comment!
God bless the NHS, that’s all I can say Tammy. For us Brits, we really do take it for granted that if we’re ill, we’ll get first class medical treatment. At least that’s how it used to be before the world recession took hold; these days with austerity cuts to public service budget, I think the NHS’s new mandate is simply to patch patients up sufficiently so that they make it through the hospital doors before they die on the street.
It’s a depressing feeling indeed when you’re deprived, for whatever reason, of a service you really should have a right to. I remember about ten years ago being in a very similar position when I needed to take out life assurance. No one, but no one would provide me cover when I revealed the minor details that I had a history of obsessive compulsive disorder and was a chain smoker. The combination apparently meant that I had, in the insurance company’s eyes, a zero squared change of living another 25 years. Market forces, you’ve got to love ‘em I guess.
Sounds like the two of you were very proactive and lateral thinking though; you clearly asked the question I always ask myself, “So how can I improve upon this situation?”
We’ll done for keeping the faith and finding the solution – it’s always there…somewhere
Gareth recently posted..Keep the Faith
Hello Gareth! I wish I could add to your Comment, but it is so thorough I am at a loss.
Well, as you know, I cannot be at a loss for long. I can tell from “knowing” you for only a short while that you are very thoughtful and reflective – fine character traits indeed! Your question is so important. I am stopping right now and jotting it on a sticky note. It is going on the mirror! I promise to give you credit. It will look exactly like this, but in my chicken scratch:
So how can I improve upon this situation? – Gareth
What do you think?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. And, by the way, CJ is really getting a kick out of Song Titles Banter! I have to warn you, this could go on a long time! You are talking about four decades of collected titles and lyrics.
Being ‘thoughtful and reflective’ has proved to be both a blessing and a curse over the years to tell you the truth Tammy. I’m not sure I’d recommend it to anyone
It is a really cool question isn’t it? It stops despair and despondency dead in their tracks, and forces you to look for an objective, rational and positive solution. I’m flattered that you should find it sufficiently inspiring to write it down and attribute it to me on a prominent post-it note – and I don’t mind how messy your writing is. In all honesty, whilst the question springs from my mind, the inspiration for it sadly does not. I think I have to give credit to the proactive likes of Viktor Frankl, who adopted similar perspectives to overcome overwhelming adversity.
I like the song title banter too, so I won’t Run To The Hills, regardless of how long it goes on for I promise
Gareth recently posted..Keep the Faith
Hmmm, Gareth…I am wondering if you would agree with me that spending too much time in your head is not as productive as we might like to think.
Taking action, for me, is a panacea really.
Your credit to Viktor Frankl is appreciated. I have made mental note of it, but your name still remains next to the quote.
Don’t worry, Gareth. You have complete Free Will with the song banter.
so annoying! I get the anger at being powerless, and would have been in the same state in your position. This health insurance thing is just getting crazier. Happy to be European on that one. I have no coverage in Guatemala but even a flight back will be cheaper to go get treatment in France.
Congrats on taking steps to even that out with other savings.
Pauline recently posted..Taking a holiday while in debt
I have since calmed myself down. After all, one cannot afford stress here in the States! I hope that when I get to France, I am seeing the sights instead of seeking medical treatment.
Thank you so much for stopping in, Pauline. We love hearing from you!
I sent CJ over to your site to have a look at your beautiful home. If you keep showing pictures like that, I am afraid you may soon have many neighbors.
Or at least dinner guests!
The more the merrier! I love Guatemala and am happy to help promote such a wonderfully diverse and beautiful country, the bad press is sadly deserved for the capital city but the rest of the country is breathtaking.
Pauline recently posted..What is your survival budget?
We will definitely put in on our Wish List of places to see – especially powerful coming from someone who lives there, Pauline!
Good for you! I would love to cancel cable, between the internet, netflix and me never having enough time to actually watch TV anyway but alas the husband wins with his great love of sports. Stinks that your health insurance went up but glad you found a way to make it work for you!
Hello, Catherine! So good to have you here. Ah yes, sports. We watched a good deal at one time. When we first moved to Houston 14 years ago, they used to play sports on local channels. It’s amazing to see how things have changed. It seems you have to be wealthy to attend a game or watch one on TV these days. How is it that I can see three reality shows at one time, but not someone who has put in thousands of hours to refine their skills enough to play a sport?
Perhaps one day they will let you order just the sports channels, so your hubby can watch sports and you don’t have to have the whole cable package.
Many thanks for stopping in!
Just read this, maybe it is useful for you
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/11/01/our-new-237-per-month-health-insurance-plan/
Pauline recently posted..Carnival of Financial Independence, second edition
Thank you so much, Pauline! I am definitely going to check this out. Much appreciated.